About the Book
Unraveling creation, covenant, and family in a foundational biblical narrative.
In this thought-provoking addition to the Old Testament Library, David L. Petersen offers a fresh reading of the book of Genesis, understanding it to address the creation of the universe, the beginnings of human culture, and the origins of Israel, all of which are anchored in the central motif of family. Petersen traces the intricate lives and relationships of the ancestral families—from the story of Adam and Eve to the captivating narrative of Joseph. Accordingly, he illuminates the ways in which the stories and genealogies in Genesis portray diverse familial structures, values, conflicts, and religious behaviors.
Employing a rich array of critical approaches—source, form, and redaction criticism, along with literary and social-scientific analysis—Petersen explores the cultural and theological dimensions of Genesis. He highlights the way in which the book’s narrative arc transforms Abraham and Sarah’s family into a people, a foundational identity that shapes Israel’s self-understanding. This volume also engages contemporary scholarship on the formation of the Pentateuch, reassessing traditional theories about the origins of Genesis. Petersen reveals how the book emerged out of theological debates, integrating originally distinct literary traditions into a narrative through the unifying motif of family.
Both accessible and rich with scholarly insight, Genesis: A Commentary provides readers with a fresh translation and a comprehensive lens to understand the book of Genesis as a literary and religious masterpiece. This book is an essential resource for students, scholars, and others seeking to explore the profound themes of creation, covenant, family, identity, and theological dynamics in this foundational biblical text.
About the Old Testament Library
The Old Testament Library series provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of William P. Brown, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary; Brent A. Strawn, Professor of Old Testament and Professor of Law, Duke University; and C. L. Crouch, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism, Radboud University.
About the Author :
David L. Petersen is Franklin N. Parker Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Petersen served on the faculties of the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign; Iliff School of Theology; and Emory University, where he was awarded the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award. In addition, he taught at Aarhus University, Denmark, as a Fulbright Professor. He has written numerous books and articles and worked on many collaborative projects (Common English Bible [convener of the editorial board] and New Interpreter’s Bible [senior Old Testament Editor]) and editorial boards (Old Testament Library, Journal of Biblical Literature). He has already published two volumes in the Old Testament Library series. He was elected president of the Society of Biblical Literature in 2004. In 2010, he was presented with a Festschrift titled: Method Matters: Essays on the Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Honor of David L. Petersen.
Review :
"This sure-footed, clear, and stimulating commentary will give students of Genesis new insight and new questions on page after page. It is naturally a radically different work from the previous volume on Genesis in this series by Gerhard von Rad, which has been an exegetical and theological resource for over sixty years. It will thus open the eyes of readers to seeing Genesis anew in light of the way critical theories look at Genesis in the twenty-first century." —John Goldingay, Senior Professor of Old Testament and David Allan Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
"David L. Petersen provides readers with an insightful commentary that employs a combination of literary and social-scientific methodologies that have grown out of earlier models of source, tradition, form, and redaction criticism. He reads Genesis as a family narrative that explains how the ancestral family grew into a people in its relationship with G-d within the context of creation, and he points to the role of the tôlǝdôt, "generations," formulas that trace the ancestral family's history throughout the book. Petersen's volume is a worthy successor to the earlier work of Gerhard von Rad." —Marvin A. Sweeney, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Claremont School of Theology
"David Petersen's Genesis is the work of deep integrative intelligence. Petersen's commentary builds upon historical-critical questions in service of the larger matter of Genesis as literature, a book about family on the way to nationhood. The family is besieged by problems of infertility, domestic violence, and generational power struggles. Resonant with contemporary issues and eminently readable, this commentary is a must for scholars and of interest to a broad audience of readers." —Kathleen M. O’Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emerita of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
"David Petersen presents a fresh and methodologically diverse approach to the book of Genesis. His commentary is informed by recent developments in the study of the Pentateuch and provides an accessible way to read Genesis, not only as a prologue to the Moses story but also as a book in its own right. A more-than-timely replacement of Gerhard von Rad's predecessor volume in the Old Testament Library!" —Konrad Schmid, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism, University of Zurich
"Petersen's commentary on Genesis provides a readable evaluation of this foundational book, drawing it together from the perspective of family and geography. His approach is primarily literary with close attention to ancient Near Eastern parallels and text-critical variants. It is a welcome addition to the literature on Genesis and as such will be an asset for scholars, clergy, and those interested in studying the narrative accounts of Israel’s origins." —Victor H. Matthews, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and retired Dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs, Missouri State University
